for quality writing

Ken Borland



‘You never know how a pitch will play,’ says Rabada, before bowling brilliantly 0

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Ken

“You never really know how a pitch is going to play,” Kagiso Rabada said, “but we had an idea from the warm-up that it would favour the seamers and bowled accordingly.”

And brilliantly.

South Africa bundled Bangladesh out for just 84 in their T20 World Cup match in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, a total they then chased down with six wickets in hand and 39 balls to spare to significantly boost their nett run-rate.

Rabada led the way with an outstanding display that brought him career-best figures of 3/20. On a pitch that almost demanded Test-style bowling, he was bang on the mark with both his lengths and skills from the outset.

“There was a lot of grass on the pitch and a bit of zip, as well as being a bit two-paced. We learnt from the Australia game here and we also noticed a bit of swing in the warm-up,” Rabada said after the win.

“You never really know how a pitch is going to play, but we had an idea that it would favour the seamers and we bowled accordingly. In my three overs up front there was a bit of bounce, seam movement and swing.

“So conditions were in my favour and you just try to get the ball in the right places. Anrich Nortje [3.2-0-8-3] is also bowling pretty rapidly at the moment and every bowler that came on stuck to the game-plan and got us into an even stronger position,” Rabada said.

South Africa also know full well that their semi-finals qualification could come down to nett run-rate and they used the small target as an opportunity to boost that figure to more than one run per over better than rivals Australia: 0.742 to -0.627.

After a rocky start, they won in the 14th over largely thanks to Temba Bavuma’s quickfire 31 not out off 28 balls. Rabada said criticism of the captain has been ill-informed.

“There’s nothing more to say about Temba, the results are there. You are always going to have critics and we make peace with that, we take the good with the bad.

“You can’t control what is said outside the game, but we probably put more pressure on ourselves than the public do.

“Obviously we chatted at halfway about nett run-rate and we wanted to try and finish the chase as early as possible. There was a clear instruction to finish before 15 overs, we did that and we are happy,” Rabada said.

Cobras bowlers tie down Titans brilliantly at death 0

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Ken

The Unlimited Titans were brilliantly tied down in the closing overs by the Nashua Cape Cobras bowlers as the coastal side won their RamSlam T20 Challenge match by 14 runs at the Wanderers on Sunday.

With both openers blazing 72 off 48 balls, the Titans required just 56 runs from the last five overs with nine wickets in hand. But with Kieron Pollard and Mthokozisi Shezi mixing up their pace superbly, the Cobras reached the last two overs with 34 runs to defend.

Dane Paterson and Lizaad Williams both produced excellent closing overs and the Titans finished on a disappointing 193 for four, scoring just 41 runs and losing three wickets in the last five overs.

The Cobras’ total of 207 for five, after being sent in to bat, was inspired by two superb innings by Richard Levi and Pollard.

Levi was in sublime touch and ruthless mood as he opened the batting and hammered 81 off just 34 balls. In the fifth over, bowled by JP de Villiers, Levi hit four successive fours and then completed the over with consecutive sixes, taking 28 runs in all off the unfortunate seamer and raising his half-century off just 22 balls.

Twenty-one runs came off left-arm paceman Rowan Richards in the sixth over, Levi hitting the last four balls for six, four, four and six, and the Titans were in dire straits when Davids wisely turned to spin.

Roelof van der Merwe bowled two overs for 11 runs but it was fellow orthodox left-armer Dean Elgar who made the crucial breakthrough, claiming a steepling return catch from Levi.

Further breakthroughs would come for the Titans as Omphile Ramela (12) was well-caught by Van der Merwe running from midwicket off Elgar, who then bowled Justin Ontong first ball as the Cobras captain unwisely tried to reverse-sweep a quicker, flatter delivery.

Elgar finished with outstanding figures of three for 20 off four overs and could well find himself getting more regular employment as a bowler by the Titans.

It was overseas pro Pollard who earned his keep in the final overs, slamming 72 not out off just 36 balls, with six fours and four sixes, the last five overs proving fertile for the Cobras as 64 runs were scored.

Dane Vilas used some cute deflections to score 19 and help Pollard add 65 for the fifth wicket off 44 deliveries.

The Titans’ run-chase began sedately, but steadily picking up speed and although there was none of the frenetic bashing of Levi, Davids and Elgar kept up the required rate. In fact, the crowd was most animated when a teenager in the eastern stand claimed a one-handed catch off an Elgar six to seemingly qualify for the R1 million cash pool. He was subsequently disqualified, however, because he was under 18 and there are bound to be numerous opinions aired over RamSlam’s lengthy and stringent criteria for the prize. Suffice to say that they don’t seem to want to encourage children to come to the games, which is bizarre behaviour for a sponsor.

Davids and Elgar raised 50 in the sixth over and their century stand was up in the 10th over, as the left-hander went to a 31-ball half-century, with two fours and four sixes.

Davids hit six fours and a six as he reached his fifty off just 28 deliveries and everything seemed to be going wrong for the Cobras when Ontong had Davids caught in the deep on 63, but had over-stepped.

It was Pollard who bowled the Cobras back into the game when he had Elgar caught by Ontong running in from long-on in the 15th over and then removed Davids as well in the 17th over, a slower bouncer coming off the glove and being caught behind.

That brought Darren Sammy in to face his West Indian team-mate but the overseas pro lasted just two balls before he also fell to the slower-ball bouncer, paddling it to short fine-leg, where Shezi dived to take the catch.

Pollard finished with a top-class three for 22 in his four overs and with Shezi bowling a fine over in between, the Titans had suddenly lost all momentum.

Mangaliso Mosehle launched a massive six out of the ground, but a degree of panic had set in and Theunis de Bruyn (13) skied a catch into the covers for George Linde to calmly take off Paterson.

A brilliant opening stand fizzled out into a lame finish for the Titans.

http://citizen.co.za/268251/cobras-tie-titans-death/

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Thought of the Day

    1 John 2:5 – “But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.”

    James 2:14 – “What good is it if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?”.

    Love without action is useless.

    If you love God unreservedly, you will offer your best to him and be willing to serve him wherever he wishes to use you.

    Love has to manifest itself practically.

    “Love requires uplifting and inspirational deeds.

    “How genuine can your love for God truly be if you are aware of a serious need and do nothing to alleviate it?”- Solly Ozrovech, A Shelter From The Storm



↑ Top